Clinton camp: Pence will try to defend ‘indefensible’ at debate
FARMVILLE, Va. — Democrats are aiming to force Mike Pence to play defense at Tuesday’s vice presidential debate.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman on Tuesday afternoon previewed his side’s strategy, saying the GOP vice presidential nominee will have to defend the “indefensible.”
{mosads}John Podesta told reporters in the spin room at Longwood University that the VP debate is not a referendum on Pence and Democrat Tim Kaine, but on the top of the ticket.
“Usually the public is turning in to the vice presidential debates to determine if the presidential nominee picked someone who can step into their shoes, be one heartbeat away from the presidency,” Podesta said.
“The question for the Trump campaign is: Is the presidential nominee fit to serve? When you think about Mike Pence’s task tonight, it’s a very high bar for him to get over.”
The media and political class has descended on Longwood, a public liberal arts school about an hour’s drive from Richmond, for the sole debate between the VP nominees.
While the rural area trends Republican, Kaine narrowly won the county, Prince Edward, during his successful 2012 bid for the Senate.
The campus is mostly quiet, as students are on break to allow for the massive influx of satellite trucks, political types and reporters. But a small-yet-vocal contingent of supporters of each side have dug in on campus to make their presence known.
During the chat with reporters, Podesta predicted Pence will have a difficult time flipping the script after a tough stretch for the GOP ticket.
Donald Trump faced a series of controversies in the last week in the aftermath of the first presidential debate. He’s faced criticism over his attempts to defend his treatment of a former Miss Universe and a bombshell report that he claimed almost $1 billion in losses in 1995 — a number that would have allowed him to skip paying income taxes for 18 years.
Podesta also raised the prospect of Pence being asked about whether Trump is a role model, one day after Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) waffled on that question at a Senate debate.
“Mike Pence has the dual role of having to change the narrative … but also defend what is, in my view, the indefensible,” Podesta said.
“If you think Kelly Ayotte had a tough time last night when asked if she thought Donald Trump was a role model, Mike Pence will have a tougher time tonight defending the way Donald Trump has conducted this campaign.”
Podesta also said Kaine will target Pence, the current governor of Indiana, specifically on his push to defund Planned Parenthood and his controversial support of a religious freedom protection measure that many saw as anti-LGBT discrimination.
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